The Only One
by twoweirdsisters
Summary: Anna Fawcett. Normal teen witch. With a secret. Chapter Two!
1. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
Anna Fawcett sat in her large green armchair, staring out the window. Her floor was strewn with books from her various attempts to study, but it was no use. She was completely and utterly bored.  
  
Anna lived in a 300-year-old house in Ottery St. Catchpole, and normally, she loved her house. It was so rich and labyrinth and she could literally spend hours discovering new rooms. When she tired of that, there were usually dozens of her schoolmates from Hogwarts around for her to socialize. Normally.  
  
Ottery St. Catchpole, while not entirely composed of wizards, was primarily a wizarding town. Those who weren't wizards were married to them. The majority of the children in Ottery St. Catchpole went to Hogwarts (or were Squibs) so Anna knew most of the children her age. During the summers, her usual gaggle of Ravenclaw girls sat around in their various homes, gossiping about the other students. When they bored of that, they could split up and go visit various other friends. Unfortunately, this summer was different.  
  
The Quidditch Cup had come to England this time around, and all the wizarding families in town had managed to get tickets. It was even rumored that the Weasleys had gotten Top Box seats. She didn't know how they managed that. They were nice enough, even with the red hair, but it was common knowledge that the Weasleys could barely support their own family, much less afford Top Box seats. Anna and her father had tickets, of course, but his job kept them from going until the last minute. She wasn't quite sure what his job was; actually, only that she couldn't ask about it and it kept him from being home very often.  
  
Right now, however, Anna's major concern was boredom. She lived for the thrill of talking to people, solving their problems, and creating new ones. In addition, the only people left in town were the stupid Lovegoods. Luna was a third year, and had gotten increasingly odd. They had been friends when Luna was three, and Anna five, but since she'd gone to Hogwarts, Anna had avoided talking to her. Luna was a nice enough girl, but very strange. Her father ran The Quibbler, the most rubbish rag in all of Wizardom. Even with having a disgraceful business attached to her name, even Anna couldn't deny that Luna was very pretty. She had dreamy blue eyes and long white- blond hair.  
  
Anna stood and stretched. She looked in the mirror and piled her light brown hair on top of her head. She might as well start packing for Hogwarts; she would have to leave as soon the Cup was over. She was absolutely useless with packing charms, and so preferred to pack things away the old-fashion way. She carefully folded skirts and blouses and socks, packed away her schoolbooks and quills, and wrapped her most prized possession in tissue paper and laid it gently on top. It was a picture of a striking young woman holding a young child. It was Anna's mother and herself just over fourteen years ago.  
  
Anna remembered her mother, but only barely. She had died when Anna was three, leaving her aged father to raise her, along with their house elf Mandy. Since her father was rarely home, Mandy essentially raised Anna, but when she was 13, in her third year at Hogwarts, she had received the owl: Mandy had died. Since then, they hadn't gotten another house elf; because neither of them was home enough to need one.  
  
Anna shut her trunk and locked it, and riffled through her remaining clothes. She had to dress as a Muggle during the Cup, something she excelled in. She pulled out a few pairs of jeans, several t-shirts, and some socks, and placed them in her book bag along with her wand. No sense in being unarmed, even if she couldn't use magic outside school.  
  
She looked at the clock: only an hour had gone by. Hopefully, her father would be home soon, and they could get going; otherwise, this was getting to be monotonous. Anna flopped back into her green chair, but as soon as she had picked up a book, the doorbell rang. She jumped up ecstatically: any company was good company.  
  
Anna stopped at the hall mirror to smooth her shirtfront before rushing down the stairs, opening up the door, and stopping abruptly in shock. Luna Lovegood stood on her front porch, looking at Anna expectantly.  
  
"Hello, Anna Fawcett," said Luna, oblivious to Anna's shock and annoyance.  
  
"Um, yes, Luna, please, do come in," said Anna. Just because she didn't really want this particular guest didn't mean she couldn't be a perfect hostess. "Would you like something to drink?"  
  
"No, thanks," said Luna, stepping into the hallway and looking around. Her eyes stopped at the umbrella stand.  
  
"Why do you have three umbrellas?" asked Luna.  
  
"We like to have a spare, in case we have company," said Anna.  
  
"But there are only two of you," replied Luna.  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
Anna gritted her teeth and led Luna by the arm to the parlor, where she promptly sat down on a nearby ottoman.  
  
"We're the only Hogwarts students left in town, you know."  
  
"Yes, I'm perfectly aware, thank you." Anna's voice carried a hint of underlying annoyance.  
  
"Well, my father says that Hogwarts students should stick together this year."  
  
"That's nice, Luna."  
  
"He says You-Know-Who is coming back soon." Luna's alarming statement sounded quite casual.  
  
Anna looked up in shock. Is this why Luna had come here, or was she just making odd conversation?  
  
"He says that if we don't stick together, You-Know-Who will send his army of Green-Tailed Bogies to Hogwarts. It's not a good idea, though; Dumbledore's a very smart man."  
  
"Yes, of course," said Anna, distractedly. Then she rethought her strategy, and decided to be blunt. "Luna, why did you come here?"  
  
"To warn you, of course," said Luna simply, blinking her bright blue eyes.  
  
"About...?"  
  
"Voldemort will try to destroy the Cup," she said with an air of annoyance. "That's why we aren't going. Father says..."  
  
Anna quickly cut Luna off. The mention of that name pushed her over the edge. "That's nonsense. Even You-Know-Who couldn't get past the security at the Cup, your father of all people should know that."  
  
"My father," said Luna, drawing herself up, "Is a very smart man, and I'll thank you to remember that."  
  
With that, she turned on her heel, walked down the hallway, and let herself out. "How strange," said Anna quietly to herself. She didn't know whether to laugh, or to truly be scared. It WAS Luna Lovegood. Why would she put herself out of the way like that? Why didn't she warn any of the others? Anna most certainly would have heard it if Luna had had this conversation with any of the girls. Luna was obviously off her rocker. Honestly, You- Know-Who at the Quidditch World Cup.  
  
Anna headed back upstairs and sat in her chair. She tried to pick up the book again, but wound up staring at the pages. She was shaken up from Luna's visit, whether what Luna said was true or not.  
  
Luckily, before she had worked herself into a tizzy, she heard the small 'click' of the front door, signifying her father's return from work. She flung herself down the stairs and hugged him.  
  
"Dad!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "You're home!"  
  
"Anna-Banana, did you pack?" he asked, hugging her back. For all his secrets and mysteries, and never being home, Randy Fawcett doted on his daughter.  
  
"Yup, and I packed for Hogwarts too. There won't be much time when we get home from the Cup!"  
  
Randy's face fell. "Anna, dear, I can't go. I have to work. I'm sorry, sweetie, I'll try to make it to the match, but I've had to make arrangements for you to stay with the Bones. They're keeping the Patils, too. I'm sorry, honey, but maybe next time."  
  
Anna looked at her father, visibly upset. She rarely got to spend any time with him, and now his Ministry job was keeping him from the biggest event in years? It was unfair, it really was.  
  
"Anna sweetie, don't look so upset, you'll have fun. Believe me, what I'm doing is worth it. You'll see."  
  
Anna turned away and went upstairs glumly.  
  
"Wipe that frown off your face, the Bones will be here in half an hour to get you," called Randy after his daughter. She turned around and gave him a weak smile, then turned and went back up the stairs.  
  
True to his statement, half an hour later Randy Fawcett accompanied Mr. Charles Bones, Mrs. Cordelia Bones, their daughter Susan, and the two Patil sisters into his living room. Arriving by Floo Powder apparently made Susan a bit queasy, she took a seat immediately upon entering the room.  
  
"Anna dear, it's time to go. The Bones have arrived." Randy shouted up the stairs leading to his daughter's bedroom. Not two minutes later the young, attractive brunette came prancing down the stairs, dressed in Muggle clothes, and carrying her rather large book bag at her side.  
  
Still slightly disappointed by her father's last minute cancellation, Anna had decided to make the best of the remainder of the summer, with or without her father.  
  
"Love you, Dad. We'll be home as soon as the Cup is over. If anything happens I'll be sure to owl you." Then she gave her father a tremendous hug, which he returned.  
  
"Have fun sweetie, make sure not to give the Bones too much trouble" Mr. Fawcett jested playfully.  
  
"Dad, please!"  
  
"Just kidding! Goodbye, sweetheart, have fun!"  
  
With their goodbyes said and Floo powder pinched in hand, the journey to the Bones Manor began. Through one grate and out of another, everyone arrived safely, disheveled, and a bit confused. Anna followed Susan's lead out of a stone fireplace, which led into a beautiful mansion filled with crystal chandeliers, sparkling glass lamps, and a house-elf awaiting their coming.  
  
Promptly as they arrived, Felipe bowed deeply, removed their now dusty jumpers, and carefully laid them in a storage cabinet that was placed in a small corner.  
  
Padma was the first to exclaim about the Manor's splendor. "Susan!" she squealed emphatically, "It's so gorgeous! I had no idea you were this wealthy."  
  
Though a bit tactless, the comment made Susan blush then smile gracefully. Even Anna couldn't help being astounded at the houses magnificence. Susan was incredibly laid-back, and lacked that 'old-money' air.  
  
"Well, we have about five minutes before we need to start walking, girls. I believe Felipe has prepared a quick snack we can eat before we leave." Mr. Bones always spoke with such authority and confidence; no one ever wondered how he became an Auror.  
  
Within half an hour the Bones family and their guests had finished eating and begun their two-mile trek to get to the destination.  
  
Arriving just after the sun had set; they shortly found the Portkey (what appeared to be a small half-empty bottle of ginger ale) and then they all began to grab hold of it.  
  
"One...Two...Three." Charles said quietly, with a slightly breathless tone. Instantly the "being-ripped-inside-out-navel-first" feeling had settled on all six of them.  
  
As quickly as they had left the ground, they had arrived at the final objective- the Quidditch World Cup. Surrounded by dozens, maybe even hundreds, of wizards and witches who were milling around stopping to talk to a familiar face here or renting a tent just over there.  
  
Soon after arriving, Anna spotted a particularly old wizard in a Muggle nightdress. After pointing out his hilarious faux pas to Susan, the two young witches laughed at the elderly wizard and imagined his embarrassment if he only knew what he was wearing. Not long after this incident, Mr. Bones came back from speaking with a stout man, who appeared to be a very confused Muggle, and informed the six-member crew that they were the proud new renters of two very nice and spacious tents (to be pitched on plot 58.)  
  
So off they went in search of this mysterious plot where they could stop and set up camp. Along the way, many odd things could be observed. People were dressed in what they thought to be Muggle clothes, but Anna knew better. She even saw one middle-aged woman clothes in a pair of plaid men's pants and a child's dress for a top, what a sight. Of course, this was the wizarding event of the twentieth century, so many Hogwarts students, and their families, were attending. Anna saw many of her school friends, and held back Susan and the Patils. A particular teacher had especially caught her eye. He had disrobed, and was wearing a burgundy collar shirt with black pleated pants. His change from the normal black of Hogwarts was a nice change, and she had certainly noticed. Severus Snape had caught Anna's eye.  
  
Of course, Anna could do nothing about her feelings in the company of such...sheltered girls. She would have to wait until Pansy was in sight before being able to relieve her suppressed giggles and intimate thoughts.  
  
It wasn't that Susan and the twins didn't get crushes, Anna knew they did. It was simply the fact that they wouldn't understand having a crush on a Professor. Especially not Snape. Susan would scoff and tell her that she was simply wasting her time. Padma and Parvarti would shriek in surprise, and then they would press her for the details of their sordid relationship (which was quite non-existent.)  
  
Potions had been Anna's favorite class since she was a first year. Not only was it exactly the right match for her skills, she always felt welcomed and extremely attentive in the darkness of the dungeons. The fact that Professor Snape taught Potions was only an added bonus. Anna had told only Pansy about her feelings for Snape. She would never deign to call him Severus. Luckily, Pansy understood Anna's feelings and instantly the two had gone from mild dislike to a close friendship. They didn't talk openly, but they now understood each other, which was more than Anna could say for most Slytherins.  
  
Onward still, they trudged, spotting a comical sight in the distance or discussing the excitement that was to come. Finally, they found the cleared area of land. With the aid of Mr. Bones's wand and a little elbow grease, two beautifully assembled tents soon graced the empty pitch.  
  
With the plot found and tents prepared, the four girls left the side of Susan's parents to venture into the sea of growing witches and wizards. The time to begin was coming soon. The music was wafting through the air and anticipation was growing. Even Anna, who wasn't a big fan of the sport, was looking forward to watching the fight for the Cup.  
  
Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker, was rumored to be very handsome, though Anna had never seen him herself. After running into quite a few guys "accidentally," Susan, Padma, and Parvarti soon caught on that Anna was not strictly here to watch Quidditch. It was true; after all, Anna was the school flirt. Not only was she very pretty, she was one of the top in her grade; mind you, her wit was not far behind her talent.  
  
Males of all ages seemed to be drawn to her. Whether it was her striking smile or addictive laugh, Anna Fawcett was a true prize and beauty. She could flirt with all the boys, and they would be drooling at her doorstep. But Anna had only one serious goal on her mind: Severus Snape. 


	2. Chapter Two

The four girls spent the next hour wandering around the campsite, looking for people they knew and buying souvenirs. A loud "clang" from a gong caused everyone to stop talking and look up. It was time.  
  
The red and green lanterns delinated a path for the spectators to follow through the woods. Anna and Susan had gotten seperated from the twins, but had met up with Seamus Finnigan and Terry Boot. The two boys were walking behind them, roughhousing and making extremely loud jokes. Anna nudged Susan and the girls sped up to get away from them, but Terry seemed to be magnetically attached to Anna. She rolled her eyes, nonverbally communicating to Susan her feelings. It wasn't like they could have talked without yelling anyway.  
  
All of a sudden, the path ended and the glorious stadium was thrust upon them. It was shining gold, every inch of it. Anna could almost feel the magic of it reverberating. She gaped in awe, and almost stumbled over the stairs when they reached them. They found their section, A12, seats 40-47, where they saw the Patils already seated and watching the crowd and the billboard opposite them on the field. They saw family friend, Hogwarts friends, and they met tons of people they didn't already know. The Quidditch Cup was about unity within the wizarding world, and it was working.  
  
The next three quarters of an hour nearly flew by, with all the laughing and talking and introductions. Suddenly, a loud, masculine voice roared over them.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen...welcome!"  
  
Anna whispered sarcastically to Susan, "Ooh, he thinks I'm a lady." Susan didn't hear her over the echo.  
  
"...twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"  
  
Anna stood and cheered with the crowd. She waved the Irish team flag she'd bought earlier, but she couldn't hear the anthem it played over anything. She was fairly certain she'd be deaf at the end of the night.  
  
The announcer said something else, but Anna didn't hear him. All of a sudden, gorgeous women took to the field and began dancing. Susan's father sat, transfixed, along with every man in the stadium. All Anna noticed was that they looked a lot like Luna...  
  
The dance stopped, and Susan's father, one of the calmer men in the stadium, began screaming for their return before his wife pulled him down by the sleeve of his coat. After all the angry wives had calmed their husbands, the announcer spoke once more.  
  
"And now, kindly put your wands in the air...for the Irish National Team Mascots!"  
  
The beautiful leprachauns did tricks and formations over the field, completely outshining the veela. When they began throwing Galleons at the crowd, everyone went crazy. Anna herself bent over to pick up a couple. No sense in wasting money.  
  
The players were announced and took the field. Hassan Mostafa stood in the middle of the pitch, kicked the crate the released the balls, and blew his whistle. The game had begun.  
  
It was amazing, Ireland was doing all the scoring, but Bulgaria had famed Seeker Viktor Krum. The players were doing things Anna had never before seen at Hogwarts, but it topped everything when Krum plummeted towards the ground and straightened out last minute. The Irish Seeker was totalled.  
  
Ireland won, but Krum caught the Snitch. Anna had never seen anything like it before, but her Quidditch experience was pretty much limited to Hogwarts, and even then, Ravenclaw practices and matches hardly showed off any exceptional skills. Ravenclaws were the brains, not the brawn. That title belonged to the Gryffindor guys, and some of the bigger Slytherins.  
  
It took almost an hour for the stands to clear out. The girls stayed with Susan's parents. It wasn't all that late, but after the exhilaration, they were incredibly tired. They stalked back to their campsite, barely awake, and fell into their tent without saying anything. It was a complete surprise when they were awoken at midnight by a high-pitched scream. They piled out of their tent, moments before the left tent peg was kicked over and the entire thing collapsed.  
  
Mrs. Bones came out of her tent. Her husband was missing. There was something wrong, and Mrs. Bones had enough experience to know it. She shepherded the girls into the forest. Anna turned back and saw the bodies, floating in the air, suspended by hooded and black-robed wizards. She shuddered and turned around, running to catch up with Susan. She stumbled over a tree root, but soon caught up with the girls. As they got farther in the woods, Anna became less nervous and calmed down.  
  
"Ugh, Anna, don't look, it's Snape," said Parvati. Susan and Padma were walking behind them.  
  
Anna, of course, immediately turned her head. Snape was in the same clothes as earlier, only they were somewhat crumpled now, and he had a tiny smudge of dirt on his knee. She suppressed her urge to giggle and moved on.  
  
They saw several more people they knew, including Terry Boot, who attached himself to Anna once more. He tried to engage her in conversation about the sight they had seen, but Anna was preoccupied trying not to stumble over any more roots. Besides, Terry Boot's recent infatuation with her was getting somewhat annoying. She decided to play off his crush.  
  
"Um, Terry, dear, would you mind finding Matthew Corner for me? Thank you so much," she said.  
  
Terry looked at her. He looked crushed, but ran off anyway. Anna took a sudden left turn. Terry wouldn't be finding her any time soon.  
  
"Anna, what was that about?" said Susan. "You know Terry likes you, why would you hurt him like that? It's not like you."  
  
"Susan. It's dark. We're in the woods because some psychos are killing Muggles. The last thing on my mind is Terry Boot."  
  
She stopped.  
  
They were outside a clearing.  
  
Faintly, so faintly they almost didn't hear it.  
  
"MORSMORDRE!"  
  
The green light erupted into the sky, lighting the area where they were standing. They had never seen it, but they knew what it meant. Voldemort.  
  
The girls ran, Anna attached to Susan's arm, who was practically dragging Padma behind her. They ran away from the Mark high in the sky, with everyone else. They stumbled through the woods, following the other people. They ran into bodies, stepped over a few, it didn't matter. The important thing was to be as far away as possible. They were stopped by a frantic Ministry official.  
  
"Girls, go to the stadium. We're keeping people there, your parents are there most likely. We'll send you home. Spread the word." With that, he ran off, looking for other people.  
  
They were at the fringe of the woods, so they exited and walked towards the stadium. Most of the others were doing that now, too. The air was tense with emotion and fright, but people were calmly walking, no longer running or screaming. The Mark hovered above them in the sky, tinting the once- golden stadium green.  
  
Anna and her friends reached the stadium. The adrenaline rush they had received had worn off by now, and they were merely tired again. They joined the throng of people looking to reunite with family members and friends.  
  
After about half an hour of searching for Susan's parents, they found her. As they crossed the stadium to join her, Anna remembered something...  
  
"I'll owl you...if anything goes wrong..."  
  
She was jolted into action. When Susan and her mother were done with the tearful reunion, and Mrs. Bones had made sure the girls were OK, Anna asked to borrow their Owl. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she saw her father, looking around for her over by the goalpost. She ran to him, startling her friends and Susan's mother, and she hugged him.  
  
"Are you OK? Anna?" She couldn't answer the simple question. All of a sudden, she was so tired. She simply nodded and fell asleep.  
  
She awoke at home on August 31, almost 24 hours after the Cup. She was fairly certain she had been sick, and was entirely certain that she hadn't eaten in over a day. She woke up, changed into clean clothes, and went downstairs. On the kitchen counter was the usual note from her father: "Anna, I'll owl you when you get to Hogwarts. Take the Floo to the Lovegood's house, I've made arrangements. Your trunk is already there."  
  
Disappointed, but not at all shocked, she made a sandwich. The only thing bothering her now was that she had to deal with the annoying Mr. Lovegood and his equally strange daughter. With a sigh, she stepped into the fireplace. 


End file.
